Cellular telephone constructions are well known in the art. Such devices are commonly employed to make and receive calls through a cellular telecommunication system. With such a system, the caller can be placed into contact with virtually any telephone, both domestic and foreign through a cellular network and conventional phone networks.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a cellular phone construction which is or can be dedicated to emergency use only. That is, the phone apparatus is of such construction as to restrict use thereof to transmit an electrical signal to a predetermined emergency calling number. One commonly employed calling number in the United States, for example, is the well known 911 number.
Utilizing the teachings of the present invention, costs of both manufacture and use may be lessened considerably. While a conventional cellular phone may, of course, be utilized to dial 911 in a conventional manner, a person wishing to utilize this service must do so employing a full service cellular phone and by paying the full service monthly and use charges associated therewith.
A search directed to the present invention located the following U.S. Pat. Nos.: 4,893,331, issued Jan. 9, 1990, 4,788,711, issued Nov. 29, 1988, 4,724,538, issued Feb. 9, 1988, 4,777,469, issued Oct. 11, 1988, 5,016,269, issued May 14, 1991, and 3,838,229, issued Sep. 24, 1974.
While some of the above-identified patents disclose arrangements for initiating emergency calls from a cellular telephone (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,016,269), there is no teaching of a cellular telephone construction which is or can be dedicated to such purpose. U.S. Pat. No. 4,788,711 shows a self-contained cellular emergency roadside call box but the teachings of this invention are not applicable to personal use by an individual wherever he or she might be located.